The prior art is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,858 which issued Aug. 18, 1987 to Ralph P. Muscatell for a "FLIGHT INSTRUMENT USING LIGHT INTERFERENCE FOR ACCELERATION SENSING." In that patent, a mass is connected to one of several mirrors in an interferometer which causes the interference pattern to move up or down in response to the change in acceleration. The interference pattern is connected to a closed loop servo to return the mirror to its no-signal position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,255, which issued Jan. 20, 1987 to Graham J. Martin, for a "NON-PLANAR RING LASER ACCELEROMETER" is assigned to Litton Systems Inc., the assignee herein. It uses a ring laser, and accelerations deform the cavity, causing frequency splitting of the polarization modes of the intracavity laser beam. The amount of frequency splitting is a measure of the magnitude and sign of the acceleration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,482, which issued Aug. 5, 1985 to Clifford G. Walker for a, "SAGNAC PHASE DETECTION PASSIVE LASER ACCELEROMETER" pertains to use of a ring laser to produce a signal indicative of acceleration perpendicular to the plane of the transducing element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,573, which issued June 29, 1982 to Clifford G. Walker for a, "COMMON RESONATOR PASSIVE LASER ACCELEROMETER AND GYRO" pertains to a Bragg cell device with a birefringent ring resonator.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,560 entitled, "Accelerometer," issued June 30, 1879 to Earl D. Jacobs and Wilbur L. Zingery. It pertains to an intracavity element linear laser accelerometer with mirror displacement as the means for sensing acceleration.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,594 which issued to Hutchings and Zingery on Apr. 2, 1974, pertains to an intracavity element linear laser accelerometer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,859, entitled "Laser Accelerometer" issued to Gary D. Babcock on Sept. 20, 1977. It pertains to an intracavity element linear laser accelerometer.